Computing: Computer Basics

System and Security: Removing files and folders in Windows 10 Quick Access.

Windows 10 Quick Access is a section in File Explorer, where the user can directly access their desktop and their Documents, Pictures, Music, Videos and Downloads folders (pinned items), as well as the most often accessed folders (the recently accessed files are not displayed by default, I think). Having direct access to these folders can be practical. On the other hand, if you are not the only one, who uses the computer, this is not really compatible with the concept of privacy. And the folders displayed are not necessarily those that you frequently access during "every-day work". If, for example, you worked a lot with some temporary storage locations the day before, these folders may appear in Quick Access even though you don't need them today and perhaps not for a longer time, or even ever.

If you right-click such a folder in File Explorer and choose Delete, the Quick Access item (not the real folder) is deleted, however Windows 10 automatically adds another folder. This help text explains how to proceed to remove all not-pinned folders from Quick Access and how to disable their auto-adding to File Explorer.

Open File Explorer and choose File > Change folder and search options.

At the bottom of the Folder Options, window, General tab, you find the section Privacy. To clear the history of File Explorer, push the Clear button. This removes all non-pinned items. However, when you access some folders afterwards, these will be automatically added by Windows. To disable this, unselect the Show frequently used folders in Quick Access checkbox. Also make sure, that Show recently used files in Quick Access is unchecked.

Note: On my Windows 10, the Music and Videos folder are actually not shown in Quick Access. I'm not sure if they aren't pinned by default, or if I did unpin them before taking the screenshot...

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